In depth

Red Sea Dynamics

The Red Sea has always been the site of power plays amongst countries vying for its control. From the ancient Egyptian expeditions to Punt land, to the Romans who established its role as an important artery for trade with the East. And today, beneath its calm and pristine turquoise waters, it remains in constant flux as its regional players and those from outside compete for a chance to secure their interests. The strategic artery can be both a beacon of peace or a catalyst for destruction. We look at its ever-changing dynamics in this exclusive series.

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Red Sea Dynamics: part 1

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Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Sudan…Conflict or cooperation in the Red Sea?

Over the next three weeks, 'The Africa Report' will publish a series of articles by independent experts on the political and security dynamics facing the Red Sea region.

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Red Sea Dynamics: part 2

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Ports, military bases and treaties: Who’s who in the Red Sea

The Red Sea is governed by an alphabet soup of international agreements and peppered with dozens of strategic ports and military bases. To help you navigate, here is a non-exhaustive list of the principal players and treaties and locations.

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Red Sea Dynamics: part 3

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The Red Sea: ‘A vital artery for the world economy’

Ten years ago the Red Sea was a backwater at the centre of the world. Today there is no place in the world with a greater and more complex involvement by regional powers. In the third part of our series, we look at why the Red Sea region continues to hold so much power.

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Red Sea Dynamics: part 4

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The Horn of Africa and the Gulf: Shifting power plays in the Red Sea

The Gulf has the resources and the authority; the Horn the geography, the land, and the population. Everyone sees the asymmetries that push the complementary characteristics into a game of push-and-pull. In this fourth part of our series, we look into those constant power plays between the African and Gulf states in the Red Sea region.

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Red Sea Dynamics: part 5

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Yemen: What happens here sends waves all across the Red Sea

The Houthi movement seized Yemen’s capital Sana’a and overthrew the government half a decade ago. Today, the ongoing conflict is creating a political, military, and security crisis that is polarizing actors across the region. In this fifth part of our series, we look at the changing dynamics created by Yemen and how it has engulfed the entire region.

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Red Sea Dynamics: part 6

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Somalia: Caught in the middle of a deeply divided region

Somalia is an onlooker of a significant portion of maritime trade that makes its way to and from Europe. It is a gatekeeper for the Red Sea, a region increasingly on the radar of global players eyeing financial and military gains. In this sixth part, we look at the potential Somalia has as a key player in the region, once it strengthens its internal situation.

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Red Sea Dynamics: part 7

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To avoid another Yemen, the Red Sea needs fresh governance

The Red Sea is a magnet for international and regional powers. And who governs the sea, governs one of the most valuable trade routes feeding and fuelling the east and the west. In this seventh part of our series, we look at why the region must put in place an inclusive framework of collaboration.

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Red Sea Dynamics: part 8

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Sudan – Red Sea basin: Four ways to make or break stability

Following Sudan's revolution over a year ago, a peace agreement has been signed and political changes are taking shape with increasing speed. But attention must be directed to elements that can make or break peace in Sudan, including dealing with past atrocities, centre-periphery relations and the role of the military in nation building. In this eighth part of our series, we explore how Sudan's peace determines the stability in the Red Sea basin.

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Red Sea Dynamics: part 9

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The Red Sea: A magnet for outside powers vying for its control

The overriding concern of non-regional actors in the Red Sea arena is freedom of navigation through the Suez Canal, Red Sea, Bab el-Mandeb, and Gulf of Aden. In this final part of our series, we look at the constant quest and struggle for control of the Red Sea waterway by non-regional actors and their impact.

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